(Dear Chungking mansion:
Thank you for your TOO thoughtful hospitality.
I didn't request any wake-up call at all, but you did, in a very unique way.)
I waked up early in the morning, with spicy wake-up smell (guess a kind of a wake-up call) coming from other Indian's kitchen through the fan. Still sleepy but smelling too deeply to continue to be in bed, so that I interpreted it that something is calling me to somewhere else. Yes, I have to get out of this building, Chungking Mansion, as soon as possible.
In a minute, I rushed to a bathroom. To take a shower, which are VERTICALLY directly-connected with toilet bowl, that leads me to disaster, flood in the tiny water closet.
After struggling with water, I finally understand the reason why most people, who lives in Chungking mansion, doesn't have large figure. Even smaller than me (164cm height) as I noticed last night on the elevator.
It must be so hard to take a shower, for those Big-Ape-like humans, I feel sorry for them. It was then that I came up with a weird thought, remembering the mainstream size of housing in Japan, which is called "rabbit hutch (small, ticky-tacky house)" as a metaphor.
The thought is,
"It's the PLACE which choose who to live in, not by the resident. The resident is chosen, or adjust oneself to the place. "
You know, an English word "accommodation" are used for both meanings belows.
1. Accommodation (in British usage) or accommodations (in American usage) is lodging in a dwelling or similar living quarters afforded to travellers in hotels or on cruise ships, or prisoners, etc.
2. Accommodation (psychology), the process by which existing mental structures and behaviors are modified to adapt to new experiences according to Jean Piaget .
See? That makes sense also in the fact that Japanese, who live in so-called rabbit hutches, are smaller than Americans in figure, for example, who are believed to live in larger ones.
Disagree with me?.....yup, I'm joking.
But this idea might be able to refer to the same thing in our daily life. It's impossible to choose one's environment in the very early stage of life, such as the place of birth, sexualities, names, parents, and genes, etc. All we can do is just to receive the nature and adjust our-self. But soon we start to choose the options, like it or not.
"Nature or nurture" is a crucial point in science. Apart from the dispute, the ratio of influence by nurture(environment) differs among peoples. One live in a stable, solid life, appreciating for what he/she has given, without any doubts. Let's call it life of ANT. Or concentrate one's work, playing one's role in the society or company, as a busy BEE.
On the other hand there's people who protest against the current status, searching for something better or the truth. Some of them live the life of hermit. Just like HERMIT CRAB travels for new house.
There's no point to argue which way of life is right or not. That depends on each of us. That's the human. Only thing I could say is hermit-crab-life-style is fascinating me at the moment. This could be one of the reason I want to get out of here in Chunking mansion.
My strange idea about people's figure, which indicates the life as an ant or a bee, has been popped out here and I feel uncomfortable even just staying here. (although life in Chungking mansion itself seems to be hightly unlikely conservative or passive).
Why do I feel uneasy so much? What am I escaping from exactly? Chungking mansion and my weird thought should be metaphor of my anxiety toward future . Do I feel like I am overwhelmed by the life as ant/bee?
Well, this kind of topic needs further investigation, but I need to go further destination right now.
As soon as got dressed I headed to a travel agency for a short excursion to southeast China, Guangzhou, less than 2 hours away by train. Until this morning I hadn't decided whether or not visiting there, but now have decided for sure.
The thing is I'd love to see what we call CHINA, although British-related HongKong(historically) and Indian-coloured HongKong(Just I re-discovered) would be amusing, China is calling me....from bathroom.
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